“He’s really close,” Popovich said. “I think he’ll be OK for the weekend. He hasn’t practiced in five, six, seven days and missed a game (Wednesday) night. It doesn’t make much sense for him to play when he hasn’t practiced or had any contact.”

This is classic Popovich in that he won’t rush any of his star players back for regular season games. He’s the best in the league at stepping back, seeing the big picture and managing his players in a way that promotes the team’s long term success.

Holding out Ginobili for an extra day or two allows Pop to invest time in his other wing players who need developing. Then when Ginobili does return, the Spurs have a deeper roster of players who understand what it takes to win games.

The rest of the NBA should take note. They should also be a bit concerned.

Ginobili will make a big difference for this team and with the Lakers faltering early and the Thunder trying to find their way sans James Harden, the Spurs may just find themselves at the top of the conference again. The more things change, the more they stay the same it seems.